“Then why bother making it a formal complaint in the first place?” She continued before he could respond. “I’ll tell you why. It’s so that the two of you can cover your ass if I fuck this up. That’s why!
“Well, you have me there. But with all due respect, I have worked too long and too hard to have my career upended because you got impatient and issued a dead or alive exfil order to a team operating on Luna…without prior approval of President Duchon, I might add.”
Dianne opened her mouth to speak, but the Captain continued. “I want to help you, Secretary Merkel, I really do, but I need you to trust my judgment. As I said, I am quite good at what I do but please let me do my job without interference if you want the best results.”
They exited the elevator and walked across the lobby toward the street and their waiting hovercar.
“Alright, Captain, we will try it your way. What’s your plan?”
“To start, I redirected Alpha and Bravo teams to Mars two hours ago. They should arrive in orbit at approximately this time tomorrow.”
“What about authorization?”
“Ah yes, that. They are on leave and are visiting Mars for recreational purposes only. Of course, I can cancel their leave on a moment’s notice...should it become necessary.”
“Very clever, I’m impressed.”
“Thank you, Madame Secretary, and may I ask your intentions?”
“It’s time we stop playing catch-up. Aubrey’s hearing is in an hour and a half and I can request a memory scan once she’s officially remanded to GSSA custody. In the meantime, I am interested to hear what Mister Wagner has to say about the plane crash that supposedly killed his father and Lily Harris.”
“Sounds good. Shall we reconvene at seventeen hundred hours then?”
“Yes, my office. I can get you a temporary office on the floor below mine if that would be helpful.”
“It would indeed. Shall we?” he pointed to the waiting hovercar.
Fifteen minutes later, Dianne was back in her office.
“Christian, get me Geoff Wagner.”
“Mister Wagner is on his way here now, ma’am. He is scheduled to meet with his client at 2:00 PM, would you still like me to call him?”
Dianne looked at the time on her holodisplay, it was 1:50 PM
“No, just have him brought to my conference room when he arrives.”
“Very well.”
CHAPTER 24
APRIL 5, 2075 01:55 PM GST
GSSA Headquarters
Zurich, Switzerland
The door to Aubrey's cell slid open. The empty containers from her lunch were still on the table and she was lying in her bunk. The guard had been watching on the surveillance monitors and was not surprised to see her sleeping. She had been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours and, as a courtesy, he had decided to not disturb her until it was time for the hearing.
The guard closed the short distance to the bed and gently nudged Aubrey’s arm—she didn’t respond. He tried again, this time with a little more force—still no response. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. Her head flopped limply to one side but her eyes remained closed. He touched his fingers to the side of her neck looking for a pulse and found none.
He tapped his communicator. “Medical emergency in holding cell one. I repeat medical emergency in holding cell one.”
Two men dressed in white jumpsuits entered the room just three minutes later. One medic pulled a small, rectangular device from his belt and placed it on Aubrey’s forehead.
“No pulse, no brain activity,” he said to the other medic. “Five migs of nanoisamine.”
The second medic pulled a cartridge from his belt and handed it to the first medic who pressed the cartridge against Aubrey’s neck. It made a soft pop followed by a hissing sound. A few seconds went by as the medic watched for signs of life on the holodisplay projecting in the air above his left wrist.
“Weak pulse, minimal activity. We need to get her to the med bay,” he said
The second medic stepped into the hallway briefly to retrieve the stretcher they had left outside of the room. The two men rolled Aubrey onto it, lifted her up and hurried her out of the room.
The guard tapped his sleeve mounted console twice before following the medics out of the room. Thirty floors above, Christian got up from his desk and opened the door to Secretary Merkel’s office.
“I’m sorry to disturb you but there has been a medical emergency in holding cell one.”
Dianne looked up from her holodisplay. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Unknown. The guard found her unresponsive and summoned the medical team. She is being taken to the third-floor medical facility now.”
“Is she alive?”
“Also unknown. She had no pulse or respiration when found but the medics administered a nano-stimulant, which has restarted her heart and restored minimal brain function.”
“I’m going there now. Tell Wagner to wait, do not tell him about Aubrey.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Dianne rushed to her private elevator and descended to the third floor. When she arrived at the medical bay, she found Aubrey lying in a sealed cryopod with a physician and two medics attending her. The guard assigned to her was standing just outside the door.
“What happened?” Dianne demanded of the guard.
“I’m sorry but I don’t know, ma’am, I found her this way.”
“Weren’t you watching her? I ordered continuous observation.”
“Of course, ma’am. There was someone watching her at all times, and the building security AI confirms that no one entered that room today except me.”
“Well tell the AI to check again. This was not an accident and I want to know who is responsible.”
“Yes, ma’am, right away. The incident response team is scanning the cell and reviewing all activity within the building since she arrived.”
“You remain here. I want no one in or out of the medical bay without my consent.”
Dianne took a few steps before turning back toward the guard. “In fact, I want the whole building locked down. Nobody in or out, now!”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve already implemented enhanced screening. Initiating lockdown now,” he replied.
Lights up and down the corridor flashed red and a male voice boomed from the ceiling.
“Condition red, condition red. The building is now on lockdown. All personnel and visitors will remain where they are until further notice. Security will arrest anyone found without an approved escort. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Dianne approached the physician working on Aubrey.
“What’s her condition, Max?” Dianne asked. She had known Doctor Maximillian Vasquez for quite some time and this was no time for formalities.
“Stable for the moment but the damage is already done. Her neural pathways are fully disrupted and beyond repair.”
“So, it was nanites?”
“Yeah and a pretty heavy dose…complete wipe.”
“Any chance she had them on her? Or already in her bloodstream but inactive?”
“Unlikely, we did a full scan when she came in and her system was clean except the normal health maintenance stuff.”
“Then we have an even bigger problem.”
“I’m afraid so.”
Dianne heard a knock on the door behind her. She turned as a guard stepped into the room.
“I’m sorry, ma’am but there has been another development.”
“What kind of development, Sergeant Rothstein?” Dianne asked.
“A hospitality services worker is dead, ma’am. They found her body in the cold storage area, it looks like suicide.”
Dianne turned back to Max. “I bet we can guess what killed her.”
He nodded, she continued. “I want to know the minute you confirm.”
She turned back to the guard. “And will someone please find out how they compromised our security?”
“Yes, ma�
��am,” the Sergeant replied, “we’re working on that.”
Dianne continued past the guard to her private elevator. She was the only person, other than GSSA security personnel, who could move freely about the building while on lockdown. The elevator doors opened to reveal four heavily armed GSSA guards.
“Ma’am,” the closest guard said as he stepped aside to let her on, “we’re your security detail.”
Although her movements weren’t restricted, it was standard procedure to assign a protective detail to her and the other ranking officials in the building in case of attack or emergency evacuation.
“Understood. Office.” The last part being directed at the elevator control AI.
Less than a minute later she was back in her office with her security detail in tow.
“I am going in there.”—she pointed to her conference room—“ You wait out here.”
“Yes, ma’am. Two guards have been assigned to Mister Wagner.”
Dianne entered the conference room, closing the door behind her.
“You two, outside…now,” she said.
The two guards looked at each other but said nothing as they exited through the double doors.
“Geoff,” Dianne said as she took her seat at the head of the conference table.
“Madame Secretary,” Geoff replied. “Is everything alright? I heard the lockdown announcement.”
“It’s fine, just a precaution. We should be cleared shortly.”
“Glad to hear it, I am supposed to be meeting with my client.”
“That's...not going to happen.”
“What do mean? You can’t deny her right to counsel and last I checked the hearing is still on for three.”
“We’ll get to that. First, I want to ask you some questions.”
“I can give you five minutes Secretary Merkel but then I insist that you allow me to see my client.”
If he knows anything he’s doing a great job of hiding it. Diane thought.
“It’s hard to believe she’s been gone over a year now, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Who’s gone?”
“Lily Harris.”
“Oh...um...yes, it is,” Geoff said. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Your father Bruce also died in that crash, didn’t he?”
“Madame Secretary, I must protest. What does this trip down memory lane have to do with my client and her current situation?”
“And you became Telogene’s Chief Legal Officer after he died, correct?”
Geoff gave in to her persistence. “Yes.”
“And what did you do before that?”
“I was in private practice. Would you like a copy of my CV?”
“No, I have it but thank you. Do you know how I have spent my morning, Geoff?”
“No, how would I?”
“I spent the last three hours in a BGSI briefing on top-secret material—material that is relevant to Aubrey Harris and her current situation.”
“As you know, Madame Secretary, you must provide me with copies of any information that might be used against my client.”
“And as you well know, Mister Wagner, we aren’t there yet. In point of fact, we haven't even charged your client yet.”
“No, you haven’t. But you are detaining her pending those charges being filed, and I obviously intend to object.”
“What if I told you that I believe Bruce Wagner and Lily Harris were still alive?”
That caught Geoff off guard but he recovered quickly.
“That’s not possible,” he said. “My father would have contacted me if he was alive and I can assure you that he has not.”
“Well, I guess that’s not a lie in the strictest sense since you said my father.”—Dianne smirked—“Come on Bruce, the game is up. It’s time to stop pretending and face the consequences. There are too many lives at stake.”
“I don’t know what you are playing at but I’m afraid you are wasting our time Secretary Merkel. And I would like to see my client, now please.”
“Okay, have it your way.” Dianne stood and walked around the end of the conference table, brushing her fingertips across the leather-backed chairs as she closed the distance between her and Geoff.
“Aubrey is dead…well, more accurately she’s a vegetable. Someone didn’t want us to find out what was going on inside that little brain of hers.”
Geoff stood to face her. “I want to see her, now.”
“Sure, Geoff. I’ll have the guards take you to her.”
Geoff brushed past her as he walked toward the double doors.
“But this isn’t over,” Dianne called out after him. “Not by a long shot.”
Geoff ignored her.
“And if you speak with Lily, please give her my best.”
Geoff kept walking.
Dianne activated her communicator once he was out of sight.
“Christian.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please have Mister Wagner escorted to the medical bay and let Doctor Vasquez know he is coming.”
“Right away, ma’am.”
Dianne returned to her office through her private entrance, accessing Executive Director Horvat’s contact information as she walked. She placed the call when she got to her desk.
Director Horvat answered immediately. “Secretary Merkel, what can I do for you?”
“I need everything you have on Bruce and Geoff Wagner, GFN ID numbers to follow.”
“That’s not a problem. Anything else?”
“Yeah. Can you put a team on Geoff Wagner? He is here now and I can hold him until you get your people in place. I want continuous surveillance.”
“Why not send a GSSA team?”
“Long story but I might have a leak somewhere. Aubrey Harris was hard-wiped while in custody.”
“Oh, dear. Did you catch the perpetrator?”
“Found is more like it…frozen solid in a cold storage area. Also hard-wiped.”
“Damn, alright, I’ll help. Are we looking for anything specific?”
“I want to know who he talks to...give me everything you have on them.”
“I will see what I can do. Is that it?”
“Yes, for now. Thank you, Veronika.”
“Of course, I'm happy to help. Goodbye.”
Dianne disconnected the call.
What’s next? Where do they go from here? And I how do I get in front of them?
She considered those questions for several minutes before calling for Christian.
“Yes, ma’am?” he responded.
“I am sending you some classified files. I need a complete scenario analysis with probable outcomes.”
Dianne waved her hands across the holodisplay in front of her, copying everything she had received from Captain Bachmann and everything the BGSI and GSSA had accumulated on Aubrey Harris, Telogene and the Galileo Group.
“Additional files on Bruce and Geoff Wagner will be sent over from the BGSI shortly, please incorporate them once received.”
“Of course. Anything else, ma’am?”
“Estimated time to complete?”
It took the better part of a minute for him to respond.
“It is difficult to give an exact time until I have all the data,” he finally said. “However, I estimate the first analysis will be complete in approximately ten hours, twenty-three minutes and fifteen seconds.”
“That’s too long, they could be gone in ten hours.”
“If I perform no other functions and am not interrupted, I believe that I can reduce that time by approximately four hours.”
“Do it, I will manage,” she said.
“Very well, I will be in my office if anything changes,” he replied
His office was located just across the waiting area from Dianne’s office. It was small and sparse, containing only a desk and a chair that doubled as a charging station. There was also a quantum data port mounted on the wall that allowed Christian direct, instantaneou
s access to his private external storage array and the GSSA’s private network—and all the information and advanced AI services they contained. Although Christian could access those resources wirelessly, the quantum data port was both faster and more secure.
Christian lifted his shirt to expose his stomach area. What normally served as a belly button on a human was on Christian an interface port compatible with the one mounted on his office wall. He removed a black cable from his desk and plugged each end into the appropriate port. It took less than a second to authenticate and establish a secure network connection. He closed his eyes and filled his mind with the data the Secretary had sent him.
As advanced as he was, Christian’s onboard storage system could only hold about 70% of the data and functionality he had accumulated since his inception. To manage the excess, he decided what to archive to an external storage system based on his job assignment and what tasks he was likely to be asked to perform.
For example, since being assigned to Dianne he had found no need for his advanced combat functions and had retained just a few basic self-defense subroutines just in case the need should arise. Of course, he could download the archived functions at any time but doing so would mean archiving enough infrequently used data and other functionality to make room for them.
Connecting to his external storage array tripled the amount of data storage and processing power available to him and plugging into the quantum data port allowed him access to everything with virtually no delay. The additional connection to the GSSA’s central network and the shared AI services it provided further enhanced his effective processing power.
With these resources available to him, it took only seconds to find, sort and collate the data and within minutes he had constructed a complex data model that showed him the relationships between every piece of information he’d collected.
Identifying all the potential variables and assigning probabilities would take the most time. Once his simulations were complete, he could offer a reasonably accurate prediction of future events but the exact degree of accuracy depended on the completeness of the data they gave him. Christian leaned back in his chair, disabled his non-essential functions and went to work.
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